


How Long?

by irreplaceable_ecstacy



Series: A Neon Acropolis [2]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Demeter is a rather fussy woman, Eurydice is fiesty, F/M, Fluff, Hades can barely function without Persephone, Just two people wanting to get together, Long phone calls, Long-Term Relationship(s), Orpheus is a clever boy, long distant relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 02:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21067481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irreplaceable_ecstacy/pseuds/irreplaceable_ecstacy
Summary: Modern! AU6 months together and 6 months away from one another. It had always been that way ever since Hades and Persephone wedded, all because of Persephone's ma, Demeter.They'd call whenever they were apart but this time, everything's quiet. Too quiet to Hades' liking, save for the poet's singing and Eurydice's company.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a painful 4 months for Hades. It felt as though it had been an eternity since he escorted Persephone to the train station for her departure to her ma's country house that sat on the outskirts of the bustling city. The city, a neon acropolis as Persephone had called it. High rise buildings, pricey apartments that rose alongside the skyscrapers and the flashing lights of the traffic. The noise was not so bothersome to Hades for he worked in a factory, so naturally, he was used to the orchestrating hums of machinery.

Despite all the noises of the city and the occasional fighting outside his apartment, Hades found his penthouse too quiet to his liking. No howls of laughter from the woman he loved, no music or partner to dance with in the evening, no dinner companion nor was there someone he could rant to about work in bed. She hadn't called! Not once in three months. He would consider Eurydice an acceptable companion but she wasn't exactly the same as Persephone was. When it came to listening to his rants, she would bring up her own opinions. Dances, she would refuse. Dinner, as long as she could bring her musician of a boyfriend, Orpheus. Laughter? Not so much. The songbird, as Hades and Persephone called Eurydice, was just his assistant so, he wasn't expecting so much from her especially with that firey attitude of hers. If it weren't for her job, she could snap at Hades whenever she wanted but, of course, she kept that controlled.

Most of the time, the three of them would sit in Persephone's little bar beside Hades' factory. Orpheus tended the bar in Persephone's absence, a job that earned him plenty while he worked on his music. The most they would talk about was about work but not much was spoken when Eurydice walked into the bar with a rather grumpy looking Hades.

Orpheus didn't dare speak, only greeting the older man with a nod before getting them their drinks. Eurydice said nothing as well, glancing at her boss now and then as she tried to read through that stone cold expression of his. She froze when Hades glanced at her with a hint of a glare, challenging her to glance again. Out of some mechanism of hers, she returned the glare with her own, only deeper. Orpheus backed off a little to prevent from being caught in the middle but after a minute went by, he stepped up with the courage he had managed to gather.

"C-Can we just cool off a little here?" he stammered, hands outstretched in a gesture to move them away from each other.

"Someone's a little hot headed here and it sure as hell ain't me, " Eurydice snapped before turning her head away to look elsewhere.

"Well, thank you for stating the obvious for me, assistant, " Hades murmured in that low growl of his.

"Now, are you going to speak or keep sulking?" Eurydice asked, still turned away.

"If it means not having to listen to you, songbird, I'll proceed sulking, " Hades answered plainly.

"And now you sound like a child. It's a wonder if Lady Persephone pampers you into this childishness, " Eurydice muttered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hades' face fall. That was when she realized that she had found the answer to her question. Persephone. Well, that was one part of the puzzle, but the rest of it? She had to push the stubborn old man for it. Turning to look at Hades, she watched as he clasped his hands together and pressed his knuckles to his lips. He pondered in his thoughts, wincing when he felt the cold metal of his wedding band. A reminder of the absence of his wife's warmth. He let out a long sigh and before Eurydice could ask her burning questions, he spoke.

"She hasn't called. No letter, no message... Nothing," he murmured in a grumble.

Eurydice let out a quiet hum in thought. "She might be busy. You know, tending her mother's garden or doing whatever her mother is asking her to? You've told me quite a bit about Lady Demeter so, I'm assuming it's got something to do with her nagging...?" She scruched her nose lightly her questioning statement.

"I don't know. She always finds the time to call me, one way or another. She- She doesn't even have to call me, a simple message would do. That shouldn't take much time to type and send, " Hades rambled, looking a little distressed by this.

"Ever tried checking your emails?" Eurydice asked, tipping her head.

"She doesn't know how to use that. Prefers letters, she said. But yes, I have checked. I've asked Hermes for news, said he's got nothin'. What if something happened to her? Something I don't know of?" Hades asked and looked at Eurydice.

His face was blank but the more Eurydice looked into his dark eyes, she saw desperation and longing. Anyone could have missed the sadness in his eyes but she took one good look. Seeing her boss vulnerable was new, too new. She wasn't the best at comforting people, yet alone her boss, but tried her best.

"She might be busy. After all, we know Lady Persephone can't really sit still for a minute..." Eurydice murmured and shrugged lightly.

"That's... That might be true, yes. But a message - "

"She probably has her phone tucked away somewhere in her luggages, sandwiched in her dresses maybe, " Eurydice interjected quickly.

"Yeah... Yeah... She doesn't use her phone much..." Hades muttered in defeat.

As Hades was about to bring up another ridiculous thought, Orpheus cleared his throat, catching Hades' attention. The boy had been quiet for quite a while that Eurydice and Hades had forgotten that he was there. He tugged at the tablecloth in his hand nervously and his gaze wandered from Eurydice to Hades' untouched drink.

"Maybe you could try calling her, " he suggested with a nervous smile.

Eurydice nodded rapidly at that. "Yeah, that! Ever tried that?"

Scowling, Hades shook his head in embarrassment. "Never did."

"Then do so! Do it now! If you can't wait any longer, do it sooner, " Eurydice urged and poked at his phone that laid beside his large hand.

Picking up his phone, he took a deep breath. He was hesitant, worried of the response he might receive. What if there was really a reason that she wasn't calling? An awful reason. Perhaps she had found another man, someone better than he was. What if - The questions plagued his mind and he slapped his phone on the bar top. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath, having had released a loud exhale when his phone made contact with the bar top. Eurydice and Orpheus exchanged disappointed frowns but left Hades to decide what he was going to do.

Downing his drink, he dug through his breast pocket for money, slid it to Orpheus then left with a quiet wave of a good-bye. The walk back to his apartment wasn't so quiet. He spoke to himself, cursed and scolded himself for being so stupid and sensitive. Talking to himself made his walk seem a lot shorter than it was. In a matter of minutes, he was already standing at the door of his penthouse. He opened the door and stared into the darkness, taking a moment then stepped inside.

~

Hades ignored his work. He had taken a quick shower and now he laid in bed, leaving Persephone's side empty like it had been for those 4 months. His phone sat in his hand, Persephone just a call away. Just one push of a button and the device would reach her.

'Do it, coward. Call you, wife. No one's here to judge you.'

He smacked a hand against his forehead and dragged the hand down his face with the most dramatic groan. Without looking at the phone, he dialed her number and pressed it to his ear. Each beep was painful, one after another. His heart slowed to the pace of each beep, a heavy hammering against his ribcage. He waited, another reminder of a promise they made when she left.

'Wait for me?'

'I will.'

The last beep sounded and the only thing the device reached was her voice mailbox. He moved to lower the phone from his ear to spare himself from that obnoxious default response from the voixe mailbox but stopped when he heard her voice.

'_Hello, this is Persephone! I'm glad you called, whoever you are, but I apologize for not answering. Leave a message and I'll try my best to get back to you. Ma, if this is you, I'm doing fine. Pa, if it's you, kindly never call me again. Orpheus, my boy, I'm probably the worst boss in the world but I promise I'll get back to you! Hades... My love-_'

A smile stretched across his lips, the widest in months.

'_I'm sorry for not answering but I promise I'll make it up to you for every missed call. I love you and please, feel free to call me a thousand times until I answer. I love you lots, lover, just know that I always have you in my mind... And lastly, Songbird, do take care of my husband. He does need pampering at times._'

A final beep and that was it. He hadn't heard her voice for too long but this was enough for him. He settled his phone on the nightstand beside his bed and closed his eyes, a contented smile upon his lips. He could sleep slightly better. He still longed to speak to her, to see that quirky smile but he wasn't going to be fussy. Not after an exhausting day. And with that, he dozed off, falling into a deep slumber.


	2. Part 2

Hades didn't know what time it was. An unfamiliar sound had woken him up from his slumber unlike the usual traffic or his alarm. Cracking an eye open, he was met with darkness. It was late, possibly close to 3 in the morning and that buzzing sound was beginning to irritated him. Through narrowed eyes, he could see the glare of his phone. Someone was calling him but he cursed at how late it was for a call. Sitting up, he turned on the lamp on his nightstand and picked his phone up to identify the idiot that decided to call him at this hour. Looking at the name that flashed on his screen, his heart leapt and he was wide awake. This was no idiot. He answered the call with that same smile he had slept off with, only to have it widen when the caller appeared on his screen. A video call, even better.

In a pastel green nightgown and her face pressed against a plump pillow, there was Persephone looking like a mess. A beautiful mess, Hades thought. Her locks of curls laid tangled in clumps over her shoulders and over the pillow, her nightgown crumpled along her shoulders and her face bare. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, though tiredly, and she gave an excited wave. Hades returned the wave with his own small one and Persephone let out a giggle which made his heart flutter.

"Hello, lover~"

"Hello, Seph..."

Persephone's grin lingered as she studied Hades' features on her phone, her finger tracing along the screen absent-mindedly. If this was a dream, Hades didn't want to wake up. He could see her, talk to her and listen to her goofy giggling. He would stay up all night if it meant getting hours to talk to her properly and not dread waiting another 2 months for her return. He clutched his phone firmly and drew a little closer for a better look of his wife who was in the busying herself in finding a comfortable spot on her bed. A chuckle left his lips and he shook his head, amused.

"Why aren't you asleep? It's nearly 3 in the morning, lover, " Hades murmured as he watched the woman roll about in the sheets.

"Well "- she stopped rolling to look at the screen with a guilty smile- "I saw your missed call a while ago and I wanted to call you back. I knew you'd pick up, by the way, you're a terribly light sleeper."

"You know me too well, " Hades laughed lightly.

Persephone let out a snort. " 'course I do. Been sleeping in the same bed as you for goodness knows how long. I know everything about you~"

"If you didn't, that would be worrisome," he teased, waggling his brows.

"Oh, wouldn't it?"

Then, there was a moment of silence. They stared at each other with all the fondness they could muster in their loving smiles, unable to tear their eyes away. The silence broke but their eyes remained fixated.

"How have you been?" Persephone asked, almost awkwardly but covered it with a laugh.

"I've been coping. Been lonely too but now, I'm as happy as I can be... Now that you're here, " he answered with a brief nod.

"Have the songbird and her poet been taking care of you? I gave then firm instructions on how to pamper my sweet husband, " she cooed teasingly before bursting into quiet giggles.

Hades tsked. "The poet's been nice but the songbird, Eurydice... I swear, with a vile tongue like hers, she could easily destroy your Pa and Hera both. But overall, they've been company."

"I'm glad to hear. Eurydice is a handful but she's quite the companion," Persephone hummed.

"That, I know... I'm just - she's not you. And she has to remind me everytime, not that I need a reminder. She finds that I become fussy whenever you aren't around." He gave her a look, a hint of a smile.

"Which is why I taught her how to pamper you. I don't suppose she does it like I do." Persephone blew her hair out of her face and pursed her lips into a tight smile.

His smile didn't last long, faltering the more he stared at Persephone. She was there, yes, but not with him. Not by his side or in his arms but on a phone in his hand. He said nothing and the sadness surfaced in his dark eyes, the smile gone. Upon seeing his smile falter, Persephone frowned and tutted softly.

"Been a long time since I've seen you like this, lover... What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Everything...?" He looked up at her with sad eyes then shook his head. "There's a lot going on, Seph, stress I suppose."

"Is it because I haven't called you once?"

His cheeks flushed at the question, he had been caught. He reached a hand out to the screen as if to touch her cheek but drew the hand back swiftly. Persephone noticed but said nothing about it. She cradled the phone closer and scrunched her nose lightly.

"I didn't call because of the stupid signal here. Ma decided to bring me around the countryside, the parts where there was no _fucking_ signal at all," Persephone huffed.

A giggle bubbled up Hades' chest. "Language, lover."

Clapping a hand over her forehead, she chuckled. "Sorry- It just frustrates me, my ma trying to stop any form of contact between us. It's not the first time, y'know?"

"I'm aware but here we are, talking face-to-face. The wait was worth it," Hades murmured, earning a sad smile from Persephone.

"Sure was..." she murmured before yawning.

Persephone looked at Hades with a tired gaze, her fingers tracing along the screen of the phone. She had never wanted more than to hold her husband, cling onto him in bed and soak in his comfort. Her vision blurred, her exhaustion creeping up on her. She didn't want to sleep but her brain begged to differ for she had dozed off for a minute. The deep throaty laugh from the other end of her phone made her stir back into consciousness and she whined. She inched closer to the phone, wishing she could jump through it to get home. If only it were that easy.

"Sleep, lover. Don't force yourself to stay awake, " Hades murmured as he watched Persephone toss and turn.

"We barely spoke, Hades"-

"We'll talk tomorrow or the day after. I don't mind waiting again. However, if I become impatient, I will call you a thousand times," Hades said with a grin.

"You have my approval... Goodnight, lover," she murmured, eyes closing once again.

"Goodnight..."

"Stay with me?"

"I will."

Silence, or so Hades thought.

"Hades... How long? How long more?"

"2 months... Now 1 month, 29 days..."

"Good, good..." She yawned and smiled into her pillow. "I love you..."

His heart fluttered and he felt butterflies in his stomach. They had been married for a long time but hearing those three words always sent him into some sort of euphoric state. There was no one else who ever said those words to him but Persephone. If his brothers ever did, he would probably throw up but thank god that day never existed. Gazing at his now asleep wife, he pressed his phone against his cheek, resting it on his pillow.

"I love you too..."

He was answered with a muffled snore. Terribly exhausted. What was Demeter doing to the poor woman? He wondered but shook the thought out of his head. 'Stay with me?' That was what he was going to do. Screw sleep. It wasn't like he had much to do the following day but sit in his office and entertain Eurydice.

He stayed up through the night watching the sleeping figure of his wife. She was a quiet sleeper but a vigorous one too. She would toss and turn every 10 minutes then go still in a comfortable position until she decided it wasn't comfortable anymore. Eventually, Hades fell asleep, properly. It wasn't the most sufficient sleep but it felt like the best one he has had in months.

* * *

Persephone woke up to the sun piercing through her paper-thin curtains, its gentle touch caressing her face with warmth. Sitting up, she stretched with an exaggerated groan, eyes searching for her phone. She lifted the device up, scowling at how much the battery had drained overnight. 16 percent left. Had she left something on? Going through her phone, a notification caught her attention.

**Hades**: _Good morning, lover. I hope you had a good rest. By the way you tossed and turned in your sleep, I should hope you're not exhausted from all that. I'm at work now but you're more than welcomed to call me. _

She beamed brightly and clutched her phone to her chest, like a teenage girl who found love for the first time. She held the phone up again to read the message over and over again then responded. After sending her response, she noticed a little gray box above Hades' message. The duration of their video call. 4 hours, 35 minutes.

He had stayed with her after all.

'1 month, 29 days...'


End file.
